Chapter 9

After Kong Xiyan left, Chi Wanzhao stared blankly at the now-empty room. Years of disciplined habits meant she usually felt sleepy at the right time, but not tonight.

Fine, she had to admit that ever since she started sharing a bed with Kong Xiyan, her routine had been completely thrown off. Now she had to catch up on sleep during her lunch break at the office.

At this moment, even though the room was empty without Kong Xiyan, the lingering fragrance of her recent bath still hung in the air. Whenever Chi Wanzhao closed her eyes, she could picture Kong Xiyan sitting primly, her graceful figure, her unintentional teasing.

She tossed and turned for half an hour before finally getting up and heading to the bathroom.

After a cold shower, she felt much better. As she passed the adjacent bedroom, she heard Kong Xiyan talking to Yanyan. Kong Xiyan wasn't making any effort to lower her voice, so Chi Wanzhao could hear every word clearly.

Through the door came the words: "Yanyan, don't you think that person has a screw loose?"

Chi Wanzhao, eavesdropping from outside: ...

Without a word, she turned and returned to her bedroom, closed the door, got into bed, and shut her eyes to rest.

After who knew how long, she felt the bed beside her sink slightly, as if someone had lain down. Opening her eyes, she saw Kong Xiyan lying on her side, propping her head up with her hand, gazing at her.

"You..."

Before Chi Wanzhao could finish, Kong Xiyan suddenly leaned in, bit her lip, and teased her with an agile tongue, refusing to let her make a sound.

The dim yellow light from the bedside lamp still glowed, illuminating Kong Xiyan's closed-eyed beauty, exceptionally lovely.

Chi Wanzhao's heart was thrown into confusion by the kiss. Barely controlling herself, she pushed Kong Xiyan back a little with both hands and asked in a hoarse voice, "What are you doing?"

Kong Xiyan smiled seductively, her bright eyes shimmering with ripples. She took Chi Wanzhao's hand, opened her mouth to close around her finger, pressed her tongue against it, and sucked deeply.

Beads of sweat appeared on Chi Wanzhao's forehead.

Seeing that Chi Wanzhao wasn't moving, Kong Xiyan glared at her with mild irritation, leaned close to her ear, blew a breath, and said, "What else could it be? Haven't you always liked me?"

"What? Don't you like it?"

Chi Wanzhao's tense body finally collapsed. She seized the opportunity to wrap her arms around Kong Xiyan's shoulders, pressing her down onto the bed. The pink sheets contrasted with the jet-black hair and fair skin, every detail stimulating her senses!

She swiftly pulled off Kong Xiyan's pajamas, raised her hands above her head, and kissed her fiercely, not giving Kong Xiyan any chance to breathe.

She kept taking.

From top to bottom, from outside to inside, until Kong Xiyan desperately bit into her shoulder. Chi Wanzhao seemed to feel nothing, her fingers still moving rapidly within her body.

"Chi, Chi..."

Kong Xiyan, stimulated to the point of being unable to speak clearly, Chi Wanzhao leaned to her ear and said, "Call me Xiao Wan."

"Xiao Wan, don't touch there."

"I don't want it anymore."

"Xiao Wan, I'm so tired."

"Xiao Wan..."

Kong Xiyan called out many times in fragmented words, until finally, unable to bear it any longer, she cried, "Chi Wanzhao!"

Chi Wanzhao woke with a start!

She sat up and turned to look beside her; only a lonely pillow kept her company.

Chi Wanzhao touched her forehead, unable to believe she had dreamed such a dream, and her body had been all too honest...

She sighed softly, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom for another shower. When she returned to the bedroom, she wanted to see what Kong Xiyan was up to, so she pushed open the door to the adjacent room.

Kong Xiyan was already asleep, holding Yanyan. At the sound of the door opening, Yanyan opened her eyes, saw it was Chi Wanzhao, and then shut them again, nuzzling her head closer to Kong Xiyan.

This room was Chi Wanzhao's old bedroom. She had moved to Kong Xiyan's room a few days ago, taking her blanket and pillow, leaving the large bed bare.

She walked up to Kong Xiyan, picked up Yanyan, and returned her to the next room.

Only then did she stand before Kong Xiyan again.

She studied the sleeping woman carefully.

Gone was the youthful greenness; now she was like a peony in full bloom, capable of drawing all her attention just by standing there.

Chi Wanzhao crouched down to level with Kong Xiyan's sleeping form. Her breathing was steady, her sleep sweet.

She reached out to brush the stray hair from Kong Xiyan's forehead, her fingertip grazing her fair skin, and her gaze deepened.

Half an hour later, she rose and carried Kong Xiyan to the adjacent room.

Thinking of that dream just now, she had no trace of sleep, nor did she get back into bed. She merely took a deep look at Kong Xiyan, then turned and left the room.

At the end of the second-floor hallway, there was a small room, usually locked. Chi Wanzhao lowered her head, reached to her neck, and removed a gleaming gold necklace. The pendant was small, key-shaped. She fitted it to the lock.

The door opened.

Chi Wanzhao pushed the door open and entered.

With the light on, everything in the room was clearly visible: many paintings, black-and-white, oil-painted, some covered with white cloth, others with a section exposed. She closed the door, walked to a stool, pondered for a moment, and began mixing paints.

Soon a figure appeared on the white paper.

A woman.

A delicately featured woman, her pajamas opened at two buttons, revealing a red shoulder strap and half of her bra, lace edges wrapped around fair skin. Chi Wanzhao's strokes grew faster, and the figure on the paper became more distinct.

Under dim yellow light, a person lying on her side in bed, her pajamas half undone, long hair spreading out like spilled ink, bright eyes with graceful brows, a subtle smile. One hand propped under her chin, the other stretched forward.

Beside the beauty in the bed lay a snowball-like white cat, eyes closed in slumber.

The scene was warm and serene.

Chi Wanzhao sat on the stool, looking for a long time. Finally, her gaze landed on Yanyan. She raised her brush and dabbed a point beside her; in no time, an orange-yellow cat appeared at the white cat's side.

She smiled faintly at the woman and two cats in the painting.

As she was lost in thought, a loud bang came from downstairs. She put down her brush, covered the painting with the white cloth, rubbed her eyes, and opened the door to go downstairs.

As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Kong Xiyan standing at the kitchen door, holding Yanyan.

"What happened?"

Chi Wanzhao took two steps toward her. At the sight of her, Kong Xiyan's face turned pale, and she muttered inwardly: How is she still home?

When she got up this morning, she hadn't seen Chi Wanzhao anywhere in the whole apartment, and she assumed she had gone to work. So she'd planned to have instant noodles for breakfast. She had just boiled the water when Yanyan jumped up and knocked over the cutting board, which then bumped into the kettle.

She had just heard the loud bang, and her face had gone white with fright. Now seeing Chi Wanzhao at home, her already pale face lost even more color.

Chi Wanzhao looked past her at the floor. The kettle had fallen, still emitting white steam. Then she glanced at Yanyan, who was held in Kong Xiyan's arms, and understood.

"Are you hurt?"

Kong Xiyan hugged Yanyan tighter and stammered, "No."

Then she added, "I'm sorry."

Chi Wanzhao's expression remained unchanged. "It's fine."

She walked into the kitchen, then turned to Kong Xiyan and said, "I'll have Zhou Sheng bring over two breakfast sets in a bit."

Kong Xiyan, still with drooping shoulders, said, "Okay."

Yanyan in her arms, unwilling to be left out, jumped out and sauntered over to Chi Wanzhao, wagging her tail, head raised, full of expectation. Chi Wanzhao met her azure eyes, her face turning cold as she said, "You're on a diet."

Yanyan: "Meow!"

Chi Wanzhao ignored her protest, went upstairs to change clothes. Soon Zhou Sheng arrived, carrying breakfast in hand. Chi Wanzhao ate only a couple of bites before getting ready to leave. Kong Xiyan also stood up and walked with her to the entrance.

Zhou Sheng had been standing at the door; seeing the two of them coming out together, he tactfully headed toward the car.

Chi Wanzhao paused her step, turned around to look at Kong Xiyan, and said, "Can you call me Xiao Wan?"

Kong Xiyan looked puzzled: "Huh?"

Chi Wanzhao's sharp brows furrowed, her face still stern and expressionless as she said, "Forget it."

Kong Xiyan: ...